More than 1.5 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed per year and the mortality rates for some types of cancer remain very high. The diagnosis of tumor lesions at its inception and early intervention with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy usually has a positive impact in the outcome of the disease.
Current oral cancer diagnosis is based on tissue transformation in advanced stage of the disease, which is confirmed by biopsy and pathological analysis. Early diagnosis technology specifically for pre-cancerous lesions that can be used in routine dental examination would provide favorably affect clinical outcome. Similarly, current colon cancer screening tests, such as colonoscopy, CT, etc., can only detect cancers that are already in advanced stages. At this stage patients already develop symptoms, such as changing in bowel habits, bloody stools, and abdominal pain. Since early stage diagnosis and intervention often leads to a total cure of the disease, there is a real need for a better diagnosis method.